Mahindra BE 6 Pack Three Ownership Review: First Report

The Mahindra BE 6 needs no introduction. The Pack Three variant features a large 79kWh battery pack, 210 kW (281bhp) and peak torque of 380Nm. Add to that features like Level 2+ advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), semi-active suspension, 360-degree cameras with recording capability, tyre pressure monitoring, auto headlamp and wipers, a 16-speaker Harman Kardon audio system and, importantly for me, a rear-wheel drive setup. But what really makes it special to me is the sum of its parts is greater than the whole.

Mahindra BE 6: Why this Car?

I wanted to buy a fun car. My search led me to the BE6… after I’d tested a Toyota Fortuner, Camry (loved it!), Kia EV6 and even a used Mercedes-Benz C250d. I chose the BE6 because it was good looking and sporty, cheap to buy and cheap to run. This top-of-the-line Pack 3 BE 6 was about Rs. 25 lakh, on-road Mumbai, after discount. That’s half of what a Camry costs.

I’d always liked the BE6 except for the DRLs. The Pack 2 with just the eyebrow DRLs (and not the C-shaped ones on the Pack 3) look better, I think. I wanted the ventilated seats though so I couldn’t go for the Pack 2, but I did manage to resolve my Pack 3 DRL issue with PPF.

Mahindra BE 6: Buying Experience

The buying experience was excellent! The company-owned Mahindra dealership in Mumbai was prompt and professional. One thing to keep in mind, when booking this car is to opt out of the home charging options unless your society specifically allows personal chargers. The 7kW and 11kW home chargers cost Rs 50,000 and Rs 75,000 respectively, in case you do decide to go for them.

One mistake I made during the purchase was that I hurried the dealership and asked them to deliver the car to me in a week. This meant that the car came from the stockyard straight to the dealership and didn’t go for a PDI to the workshop. So, when I took delivery, the centre console dial and buttons were not working. This meant I had to go back to the workshop in a couple of days and get that fixed. Lesson learnt.

Mahindra BE 6: Customisations

Like I mentioned before, I hate the C-shaped DRLs at the front and back of the car. I asked the dealer if they could just replace the lower sections with the plastic bits from the Pack 2 variant but they couldn’t because it would interfere with the electronics. The best option was to ask the PPF guys to mask them.

Speaking of which, I opted for the Ultrashield matte PPF for the satin white paint of the car, and glossy PPF for the black bits. Some parts of the interior and exterior I got covered in carbon fibre PPF. It sounds a little tacky, but it was superbly executed (by Detailing Mafia in Chembur, Mumbai)! I had almost all the gloss black plastics inside covered in matte. I think looks classier.

Mahindra BE 6: Service Experience

After driving the car about 2,000 kilometres. I took it for its first service at a M&M workshop near Powai. During the first service, the car is basically checked and washed, and perhaps the AC filter is cleaned. That's approximately a two-hour job, tops. But it took the service centre two days! I gave the car on Friday morning at 9:30am and got it back only on Saturday at 6:00pm.

This was because the workshop was chock-a-block with cars. Mine was the last one to go into the workshop premises, while the others were waiting in line outside. It took them till the next afternoon to just take my car into the bay.

I’m sure I’m not the first one saying this, but Mahindra really needs to have a separate section for EVs. Given that they can be serviced pretty quickly compared to its ICE SUVs, it makes no sense to have valuable workshop real estate and customer time wasted like this.

Mahindra BE 6: Driving Experience & Range

Absolutely brilliant! I love the power, love the ride, love the instantaneous torque. It looks like a million bucks and goes like stink! Of the four modes - Default, Range, Everyday, and Race, I prefer to use Everyday because it’s actually peppy enough. I’ve rarely used Race mode, especially given the rains in Mumbai. Everyday is plenty fast.

Word of caution - please be extra careful on wet asphalt. The Goodyear tyres do not have enough grip for wet conditions and with any sharp throttle inputs the car quickly steps out. ESP gets it back in line, but it can be a little unnerving.

The 255/45 R19 tyre size is not easy to come by. But as soon as I find another brand I’ll be changing these; I hear Yokohoma is launching some new tyres so will keep an eye out.

I’m also due to install a software update that’ll add Custom mode. It requires me to take the car to the workshop, and that’s one trip I’m really not looking forward to.

Now, the big question – kitna deti hai? So far, I have been consistently getting a range of more than 500km, although it’s too early to arrive at a real, everyday average. So I now have the confidence of taking it on a 2,000 km road trip and will have more to say on performance, range and dynamics. Stay tuned! Or rather, stay charged!